


My Dares Always Land Someone in the Hospital, But Yours Apparently Land Me a Long Term Boyfriend (and what happens after)

by InsideThisShellisAPrisonCell



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam (Voltron) Lives, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Snippets, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 10:57:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16596566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsideThisShellisAPrisonCell/pseuds/InsideThisShellisAPrisonCell
Summary: Hunk and Pidge dare Lance to ask Keith out at a high school party.Short clips of Lance and Keith's life.





	My Dares Always Land Someone in the Hospital, But Yours Apparently Land Me a Long Term Boyfriend (and what happens after)

Lance would never have asked him out if it wasn’t for Hunk and Pidge. Those two are a menace in his life, constantly trying to cause him strife. As much as he loved them, every time he turned around they’re causing trouble for him. Normally it was simple things, like putting shaving cream in his hand while he slept and then tickling his nose, or replacing his face lotion with bacon fat. They had once convinced him when he was drunk to paint his toenails bright pink at a high school party. Then they convinced him that Margo, one of the prettiest cheerleaders, wanted him to kiss her. That had ended with him with a face full of fist and flat on the front lawn, Margo’s beefy boyfriend looming over him. 

So when they dared him to ask out the quiet, sullen boy he had been pining over for all of sophomore and senior year, he had assumed that their intent was to get him in some sort of trouble. He loved his friends and they loved him of course, but sometimes their ‘innocent’ pranks just went too far. 

It was a Friday night. They were at a party. Lance was invited to a lot of parties, and Hunk and Pidge generally tagged along. Even though Pidge whined about it, Lance knew they liked to go because parties were where all the fresh gossip tended to generate. They were sitting on a couch, watching the interactions of their classmates, when Hunk leaned over and poked Lance in the ribs. 

“Up for a dare, buddy?” he asked teasingly, mischief sparkling in his eyes. 

“You always wait until I’m a couple drinks in to ask that, and I don’t appreciate it,” Lance retorted, shoving his cup under Hunk’s nose and swirling the contents around for emphasis. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it had a lot of alcohol in it. At least he had stopped being able to taste it after the first half hour of being there. 

Hunk grinned and leaned in closer so Pidge could hear him, too. He made a subtle gesture to the opposite corner of the room. “I dare you to go ask him out.” 

Lance glanced in the direction Hunk gestured, but he already knew who was standing there. When he was on the tipsy side of the scale, he had an even harder time keeping his eyes to himself when it came to his crush. “What?!” he exclaimed. A couple who had been stumbling past them paused to stare at him. Wincing, he lowered his voice and asked again, “What?” 

Hunk shook his head. “You heard me. I,” he paused to tap Lance on the nose, “dare you to go ask him out.” 

Lance shook his head frantically. “I can’t do that! I’m drunk. He won’t take me seriously.” 

Pidge leaned in then from Lance’s other side. “It’s a dare, Lance. You either do it or suffer the consequences.” 

“You guys never do any of my dares!” Lance pouted, sinking down into a slouch. “Why is it always me who has to do them?” 

Pidge nudged him. “Remember the last time you dared Hunk to do something?”

Lance winced. Last time he had landed Hunk in the hospital with food poisoning, but that wasn’t his fault! 

“Or the last time you dared Pidge to do something?” Hunk chimed in. 

Lance’s lips turned down in a pout. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. My dares always end with hospital visits, but I could be better about them! Your dares always end up embarrassing me.” 

“Embarrassing is better than being in the hospital getting your stomach pumped,” Hunk remarked. 

“Yeah! Now go ask him or suffer,” Pidge said, kicking him in the shin. 

“Ow! Fine, I’m going, I’m going. Stop kicking me!” he dragged himself upright and started across the room, shooting daggers over his shoulder at Hunk and Pidge as he went. They just watched him go, matching shit-eating grins on their faces. 

Lance worked his way across the room, trying not to stumble. He knew why his friends had dared him to do this. He also knew they were doing him a favor even if he didn’t want to admit it. He had had a crush on this boy for over two years, constantly pining after him. He had joined the anime club to try to get his attention, had even attended every single one of his swim meets to show support, but he never got a lick of attention back. His crush never came to his soccer games, and he probably hadn’t even thought to join the Constellation Club Lance was president of. He had been terrified that if he asked him out, their tentative acquaintanceship would fall apart. Now, his tongue was loosened by the alcohol and his nerves were stifled by the vibes of the party. This was the first time his crush had ever attended a party, so he knew that this was his best chance. 

Keith looked up as he approached. His hair was down for once - Lance often saw it put up in tiny ponytails or tucked under swim caps - and framed his face in glistening black waves. His navy blue eyes were black pits, glimmering in the low light. He was wearing a long-sleeved red flannel; two buttons were unbuttoned under his throat, showing tantalizing smooth skin beneath. His black skinny jeans were tucked into black combat boots. Lance recognized those jeans. He had run face first into a glass door one day when he has spotted Keith outside in them a few weeks ago. 

Trying to be smooth, Lance sidled up and leaned an arm against the wall. “Come here often?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows. 

Keith gave him an unimpressed look but turned towards him so they were facing each other. “This is my first time at a party,” he replied honestly, even though Lance already knew that. “I figured I’d give it a try before graduating high school.” 

Lance nodded more aggressively than he intended to. “Good, that’s good, very good!” he said exuberantly.

Keith raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you drunk, Lance?” 

A thrill shot through Lance. Keith knew his name! 

Keith was grinning now, cheeks tinged pink. “Yes, Lance, I know your name.” 

Lance laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. His face burned. “Ah ha, sorry. I guess I’m tipsier than I thought.” 

Keith shook his head, an amused smile still gracing his gorgeous lips. God, Lance hoped he hadn’t said that part out loud. 

“Do you want to dance?” he asked, leaning closer into Keith’s space. They were in the living room where it was mostly just couples making out in dark corners and people chatting while they sipped their drinks, but he could feel the base thrumming from the upstairs. 

Keith eyed him warily. “Why?”

“Because,” Lance started, resting a hand on Keith’s shoulder and sliding it down to press his fingers into Keith’s wrist. “Because it’s Friday night, you’re at a high school party, the song they are playing right now is amazing-” he paused for dramatic effect, leaning in close to whisper in Keith’s ear, “-and you’re the most gorgeous person in this room.” 

Lance was sober enough to hear Keith’s breath catch in his throat. He pulled back to look into his dark eyes and to give him a grin. Keith was flushed red, his eyes wide and pupils dilated. 

“No,” he replied, and Lance’s heart dropped. “The most gorgeous person in this room is you.” 

~ ~ ~ 

Lance was fussing with his hair again. He had gel in it, and he was trying desperately to slick it back and make it lay flat, but it was not cooperating. “Hunk!” he shouted from his bathroom. “Hunk, get in here!” 

Hunk strolled in a couple minutes later, unbothered by Lance’s shouting. He was wearing a black suit, perfectly tailored to accent his wide, muscular body. His bowtie was purple and his hair was perfectly combed. He looked amazing. A boutonnière made of purple lilacs that matched his tie exactly was already pinned to his lapel. “What’s up?” he asked. 

“It’s a crisis!” Lance shouted, still frantically trying to tamp down his hair. “I can’t get my hair to do anything right!” 

Hunk shook his head in amusement and pushed Lance until he sat on the toilet facing him. “Just hold still, I’ll fix it.” He picked up a comb and set to work on taming Lance’s wild hair. 

“Is it perfect?” Lance asked anxiously a few moments later when Hunk stepped back to review his work. “It has to be perfect!” 

“Lance, you’ve been dating Keith for over six months. He’s not going to care if your head is a holy hot mess or not.” 

“Maybe not, but I care!” at a nod from Hunk, Lance leaped up to look at his hair in the mirror. He let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness. You’re a miracle worker, Hunk.”

“I know,” his friend replied with a smile. “Your suit looks really nice.”

Lance nodded distractedly, a hand drifting up to try to straighten one more stubborn piece of hair. 

Hunk slapped his hand away and then grabbed him by both shoulders, propelling him out of the bathroom. “Nope, no more. If we don’t get in the car right this second, we are going to be late for dinner.” 

Lance nodded, a swarm of nervous butterflies erupting in his stomach. “Yeah, yeah, of course of course.” he babbled. “Are we getting Shay or Keith first?”

“Keith. We’re leaving extra early so you have a whole five minutes to kiss his face off before you get back into my car.” 

“Low blow, Hunk. We only made out in your car that one time!” 

“Made out,” Hunk said, with added finger quotations. “Regardless, we are leaving right now or we’re gonna be late.” 

He bustled Lance down the stairs, but they were cut off by Lance’s mom.  
“Mijo! Mira lo guapo que eres en tu traje!” she exclaimed when she saw him, bustling up and pressing his face in between her hands. Her eyes sparkled with tears, but she was grinning so wide Lance could see all her teeth. 

“Mama!” he exclaimed, pulling away from her. “We have to go or we’ll be late.” 

She pouted, following them to the front door. “You have to take lots of pictures. Since you refused to bring Keith here so I could do it, you have to make sure that Shiro gets at least a few.” 

“Yes, mama, we’ll get plenty of pictures. I promise. Now we have to go!” 

“Bye, Mrs. Mcclain!” Hunk shouted as Lance slammed the door behind them. “Hurry, you only have three minutes to make out with Keith now.”

Lance groaned and threw himself into the front seat of Hunk’s shitty 2002 Dodge Neon. It was black and smudged with dirt, and the fuel pump was going out so it stuttered before it came to life, but it still ran. Hunk backed out of the driveway and then took off for Keith’s house. 

Lance bounced nervously in his seat. Despite Hunk’s earlier teasing about quote-unquote making out in his car, he and Keith had definitely not gone as far as implied. He desperately wanted tonight to be his and Keith’s night. He had to look perfect. 

When Hunk pulled up to Keith’s house, Lance had to pause and take a few halting breaths. His entire stomach was a flurry of churning butterflies. He was a whole hot mess of anxiety. 

Hunk reached over and gripped his elbow. “Dude, you gotta relax. It’s just Keith.”

Lance took a deep breath, then let it out. He pictured Keith in his mind: his dark hair up in a messy ponytail, his legs clad in Voltron pajama pants, his endless collection of tight, dark clothes. He pictured him laughing and scowling, pinching Lance’s cheek when he did something particularly cute but Keith didn’t want to show it. He thought about how perfectly their hands laced together when they went on dates, and how excited Keith got when he talked about weird things like Mothman and aliens and ghosts. 

Taking a deep breath, Lance nodded. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just nervous.”

Hunk nodded. “I know I’m right.” a teasing grin crept up the corners of his mouth. “Dropping the big ol’ V card tonight, huh?”

Lance’s face flushed. Instead of answering the question, he hopped out of the car and hurried up to the door. Hunk leaned out of the window of the car and shouted, “You have two minutes!” 

Rolling his eyes, Lance pressed the doorbell. It opened immediately, and Lance felt his breath catch at the sight before him. Keith was wearing a dark navy suit that accented his eyes. On a regular basis, Lance was stunned by how gorgeous Keith was. But tonight he was radiant. 

“Holy shit,” he couldn’t help but whisper, hands reaching to ghost over Keith’s cheek. One of Keith’s eyebrows raised and Lance coughed in embarrassment. He dropped his hands. “You look-” he paused to clear his throat. “You look really nice.” 

Keith grinned at him. “Thank you. So do you.” he took a step closer, voice dropping an octave. “Really, really nice.” 

“One minute!” Hunk shouted from behind them. 

“Ugh!” Lance grunted, throwing a murderous glare over his shoulder. Keith’s hands slid over his shoulders, fingers lacing behind his neck. He turned back just in time to catch Keith’s lips against his. 

Kissing Keith was one of Lance’s favorite pastime. As a rule of thumb, Keith was a passionate person and when they pressed their lips together, all of that passion was poured directly into Lance. It always lit Lance’s whole body on fire, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Lance wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him close, reaching up with his free hand to tangle his fingers in Keith’s silky black hair. 

The click of a phone camera had Lance pulling away from Keith immediately. Shiro stood next to them, the door to the house wide open. His cell phone in hand and a shit-eating grin on his face he said, “That one is going on the wall for sure.”

“Shiro!” Keith growled, stepping out of Lance’s hold to reach for Shiro and his phone. “I told you to stay inside!” 

Shiro skipped out of reach and hurried back towards the door. He closed it so there was only a foot of space for him to peer out of. His eyes twinkled with amusement. “How could I resist getting at least one picture of my baby brother on his prom night?” 

A second head appeared over Shiro’s shoulder. “Did you get a good one, honey?” Adam asked, a matching grin to Shiro’s on his face. 

Shiro nodded. “Wall material. Now, drive safe, don’t drink the punch, and-” he met Lance’s gaze and winked, “-don’t forget to use protection!” The door slammed in their face. 

Keith groaned and Lance laughed. Behind them, Hunk shouted, “Hurry up! We have to go get Shay now or we’ll miss our dinner reservations!” 

~ ~ ~ 

Navy and maroon, accented with silver. That was the color scheme for the wedding. Despite the fact that Lance had been skeptical about the whole barn atmosphere, he had to admit that it had come together very well. The soaring roof and big windows made the whole area look dreamy with afternoon light and floating dust motes. The aisle runner was a navy and all of the white chairs had been accented with maroon ribbons. The centerpieces were bottles and jars painted in navy with silver specks. They looked like stars. 

He and Keith had spent all morning together setting up. Adam called Lance about five thousand times to make sure that all the little details he and Shiro had planned were in place. Shiro called Keith just as many times, but he called to freak out because wedding married Adam oh my god. 

When everything was finally perfectly in its place, Keith and Lance stood back to survey their work. Lance kept his arm around Keith’s waist, holding him close as they looked. There was something in his chest, heavy with longing, as he pressed Keith to his side and looked at the venue. He couldn’t say anything, but the feeling was there, thick in his throat. 

“Adam better be fucking happy,” Keith finally mumbled, trying to sound annoyed but missing the mark. His voice was tinged with awe. 

“We’ll just make sure Adam doesn’t come in until he walks the aisle. Then he won’t have time to nitpick, he’ll be too busy blubbering while he gazes longingly in the Shiro’s eyes.” 

Keith gave him a playful pinch to the hip. “We better go check on the caterers, then go get dressed. We’ve got pictures at one.” 

They changed, and Lance couldn’t help but marvel at how handsome Keith looked in his suit. They’d been dating for four years, they live together in their tiny apartment, he’d seen Keith naked, but he can never get over how stunning he looks when he gets dressed up. He has on a navy blue tie and there was a fully bloomed rose tucked into his front pocket. His long hair was down and Shay had even added a touch of product and wave to it. Lance could look at him for days and never, ever be tired of it. 

Keith must have noticed his starstruck gaze because a wicked grin split his face. “You look incredible, Lance,” he said, sidling up with what Lance knew was an extra sway in his hips. Keith leaned in for a kiss, settling his hands on Lance’s shoulders. Lance snuck a hand around Keith’s waist to squeeze his delightful ass, highlighted so perfectly by those tailored dress pants. Keith laughed and kissed him again. 

The ceremony was short but beautiful. Shiro walked the aisle first, his mother with him. They looked almost funny together, Shiro broad and tall and his mother as petite as a button. Keith and Lance came behind him, Lance’s hand resting on Keith’s elbow. Hunk and Shay were next, Shay stunning in a navy, floor-length gown. Then Matt and Pidge. Finally, Adam appeared. He walked by himself since both of his parents had long since passed and he didn’t really believe in “giving someone away”. Lance didn’t have a good view of Shiro’s face from where he stood tucked behind him, but he could see by the look on Keith’s face that Shiro was probably already crying. When Shiro stepped forward to take Adam’s hand, Lance felt tears well in his eyes at the adoration and love that spilled over from Adam’s face. 

The ceremony was short; Shiro’s voice wobbled when he said his vows, but Adam’s voice was calm and full of passion. When Shiro kissed his new husband, the entire room erupted into a chorus of cheers and shouts. Lance had tears openly streaming down his face as he laughed and clapped for them. When Adam and Shiro walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, it was to showers of white and silver confetti paper. 

When Keith and Lance move to follow them, Keith took his elbow. There was something electric running between them. Lance felt a spark in his chest when Keith met his eyes and smiled. His hand was tight on Lance’s bicep, and Lance could feel his heart thrumming excitedly in his chest. 

He wanted to tell Keith that it’s their turn next, but he knew that it might be too soon for that. They were both in college, working part-time jobs at competing coffee shops. Some weeks they barely made rent and bills and had enough money left over to purchase groceries. Lance couldn’t even imagine fronting the cost of a ring, let alone a full-blown wedding. He also had deep-seated anxiety about whether or not that’s something Keith would want, too. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about getting married since they moved in together, or what they really wanted after they graduate. 

Lance made a note to bring it up soon. He wanted to talk about it. He wanted to know how Keith felt about sharing a future together. For now, he shelved the thought and gathered Keith into his arms in a hug as soon as they got outside with the newly dubbed husbands. They had a reception to set up, and some serious dancing to do. 

~~~

The storm outside was a perfect reflection of Lance’s mood. Anger raged inside of him like thunder, fury jolted through him like lightning. Irritation howled through him like wind. Pounding against him, stronger than all the rest, colder and sharper, was the rain, the sadness. The hurt. 

Keith wasn’t in the apartment. He had left hours ago, eyes wet with tears and his voice hoarse from screaming. It should have been a small fight, but then it had escalated up and up and up until it was completely out of control. Lance had said things he shouldn’t, but so had Keith and the petty side of him wanted to cling to those things instead of apologizing for the stuff he had said. 

Lance slouched onto the couch face down. He was still so angry and sad. The apartment had been dead quiet since the front door slammed shut behind Keith. The noise echoed in Lance’s ears since. 

God, why was Keith so stubborn about everything? Lance had just mentioned that he was picking up more hours at work to help make ends meet, and then Keith had questioned when they were supposed to spend time together if Lance was always at work, and then Lance had defensively demanded how they were supposed to pay for things with their rent going up next month. From there, it had devolved into an argument about Lance spending too much money on “grooming products” and Lance accusing Keith of spending too much money on his broken, money suck of a bike. Then it had just been accusation after accusation, hurtful words that dug into Lance’s heart like needles and knives.

And then Keith had left, and Lance was alone. 

Miserably, Lance rubbed his forehead against the rough fabric of the couch. It was old, sagging in the middle with tearing fabric and a funny smell. Most of their furniture was purchased cheap from second-hand stores or picked up off the side of the road. Lance hated it. He hated having to fix his car with duct tape and hope so he could get himself and Keith back and forth to the college campus. He hated having to drag his laundry to Shiro and Adam’s house because the washer and dryer in the basement cost too much per load to get it done at once. 

Stupid rent. If it wasn’t going up, he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Their apartment was shitty and run down as it was. The air conditioning only worked half the time, and it took three flushes to get the toilet to work. The water pressure in their shower was a dribble at worst and a sprinkle at best. The hot water lasted no more than five minutes, regardless of how little water output the shower had. 

Tears welled in his own eyes as he lay there. He had been fighting them since Keith had left by scrubbing the entire apartment top to bottom until it was spotless. Their almost empty pantry was organized, their clothes had been refolded, the carpet had been steamed and vacuumed until it looked almost new. He had even scrubbed out the stain on the kitchen counter that had been there since they moved in. 

The things he had said to Keith had been mean and uncalled for. He had probably really hurt his feelings, and that thought wrenched at his insides. He wished that Keith would just come back so they could work it out. 

Pressing his eyes shut and clenching his fists, he kept lying on the couch until he drifted off into a fitful sleep. 

When he woke up it was late, close to five am. The deadlock was jiggling in the door, sticking and creaking like it always did when Keith tried to use his defective key. Lance sat up quickly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His face felt crusty with tears and his whole body ached from his impromptu nap on the couch. The door swung open, and there Keith stood.

He looked worse for wear like Lance probably did. His black hair was a tangled mess, swept back from his face and soaked with rain. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. 

Lance stood to meet him as the door swing closed, shutting more softly than it had when Keith had stormed out earlier. There was sadness in Keith’s eyes and an apologetic downward tilt to his lips as Lance stood before him. 

“I’m sorry!” they both blurted out at the same time. Relief rushed over Lance in a wave. Keith reached for him first, sliding his arms under Lance’s arms to wrap around his ribs. He pressed his wet face into Lance’s shirt as Lance draped his arms over Keith’s shoulders. 

“I’m sorry,” Keith whispered into Lance’s chest. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things.” 

Lance pressed his nose into Keith’s hair. “Babe, no. I’m sorry and I shouldn’t have said those things. I shouldn’t have told you your bike was stupid. I love you and your bike.” 

“It’s ok,” Keith whispered. “I shouldn’t have told you your skin care routine is excessive and your face masks make you look like a soccer mom. I’m really, really sorry, Lance.” 

Lance nuzzled him, then moved his head to press a kiss to Keith’s temple. “It’s ok. I know that the extra hours are really going to suck, but I don’t know what else to do.”

Keith was silent for a moment. They breathed together, soaking in each other’s warmth. Then he said, “I could stop spending extra money on bike parts.” 

Affection swelled in Lance’s chest. He squeezed Keith tighter. “You shouldn’t have to give up something you love just so we can live in this shitty apartment,” he whispered. 

Keith pulled back to look Lance in the eyes, his face set with determination. “I would rather spend time with you that work on the bike,” he replied, fingers clenching in the fabric of Lance’s shirt. “You’re more important to me. We barely see each other as it is.” 

Lance fought the swell of tears in his eyes. “I can stop spending money on expensive face care products too, then,” he whispered back. “But you have to promise you’ll still love me when my face dries out like a beached fish.” 

Keith chuckled and pressed his face back into Lance’s chest. His voice was wobbly when he said, “I promise I’ll still love you no matter what you look like.” 

“I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I started this and it was supposed to be angst. I got halfway there, ig. This is betaed via Grammarly, so if you catch a mistake please let me know! 
> 
> [Send me writing prompts!](http://hikaruhia.tumblr.com/)


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